GSA rebrand leaves bulk merch left over

A recent rebrand by the GSA reportedly left a large number of old and unwanted merchandise unused.

Reports of merchandise, including bags with the old GSA logo on, being given away in bulk have raised concerns as to whether the cost of the rebrand project was too high. The rebrand, which included changes to logo and merchandise, was completed in time for Freshers’ Fair.

One masters student told Nouse that, “A great deal of money could be saved with better planning, which could go towards genuinely helping the many graduate students here at York. Action over graduate concerns is far more important than the look of the association.”

When asked, the GSA told Nouse, “The GSA has been planning to rebrand for the last year to coincide with the update of our website and the move to our new office in Vanbrugh. Prior to this the GSA had been using the same branding and website for over five years. Knowing that the new branding was on the horizon, we chose to use up the remainder of our branded goods before purchasing new materials and so did not purchase any merchandise last year.

“Unfortunately we were unable to use up all of our branded bags prior to the launch of the new logo and so decided to give these out to students during the summer, rather than disposing of them. The rebrand was carried out in house which has also allowed us to reduce the ongoing costs of producing communication materials. In the past we had relied upon an external design agency.”